Woodworker's Journal 2002-26-3, страница 9

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Reinventing the Wheel

braces against this particular force.

The drilling of the axle hole through the end grain of the hub is a major operation. Later wheels incorporated a cast steel "box" as a bearing between hub and axle; previously this was a wood against wood mechanism. The 2" to 3" hole is bored out using a device called, appropriately, the "boxing engine." A pilot hole of around 1" is made to receive the central threaded rod. The outer claw is positioned on the outside of the hub to hold the engine central. The business end, comprising four chisel edged cutters, is laboriously worked down the thread with a tommy bar to create a suitable housing for the box. Hardwood wedges are then inserted around the box to firmly fix it in position.

Woodworkers like Mike Wright have studied this process to keep alive wheelwrighting skills from the bygone era when handmade woodwork was essential to the movement of civilization.

Wheelwrighting courses are available through Herefordshire College of Technology: 44-1432-365314 (England).

— Barrie Scott

The blacksmith forges a metal tire to fit the wheel. A circular fire matches the wheel size.

9 June 2002 Woodworker's Journal

Wheelwrighting Skills

Keeping a Tradition Alive

Timber technology of the wooden wheel evolved through the centuries. Ancient efforts were solid slices of log; elegant wheels on carriages became slender, aerodynamic affairs. I caught wheelwright Mike Wright at work on a hefty farm wagon wheel at the British county of Shropshire's Acton Scott Farm Museum. He took me through some of the principles of his trade.

The six rim segments are called "felloes." Mike's are in elm. On finer

These felloes (pronounced fellies, by those in the know) — a wheel's rim segments — show the housing for the 1" dowel joinery.

British wheelwright Mike Wright works on chamfering a wooden farm wagon wheel. In making his wheels, he employs skills that reach far back into history.

wheels, ash is more common, because of its flexibility. Mike's were cut on a banc! saw, although old-time wheelwrights would seek out curved branches to make full use of uncut grain's natural strength. The felloes are connected with a 1" dowel.

The spokes were in oak, cleft and left to air dry for two years. They are tenoned into the felloes and the hub. At the felloe end they are through-mortised and securely wedged from the outer face. The tenon's shoulder is located on the inner edge of the wheel, for lateral support.

Structural timbers on wheels and wagons were beveled as much as practicable to reduce weight while retaining strength. Because of this, mortises were tapered. The chisel for mortising out the acute corners is the bruzz, a hefty V-shaped gouge, set at about 30°.

Hubs were usually elm, because of its resistance to splitting. In the hub the spoke tenons are slightly offset from one another. This avoids the removal of too much supporting material and affords a subtle triangulation effect to brace the wheel. Another essential feature of spoke design is the "dishing" of the wheel. Were the wheel flat, the natural side-to-side movement of a horse-drawn vehicle would quickly shatter the spokes. The inward dishing